Video shows horrific attack on man walking down street

LOS ANGELES -- A man was caught on tape in the Hollywood area hitting another man walking down the street over the head with a large black object Los Angeles police have described as a backpack, knocking the man to the ground as cars drove by in broad daylight, according to KTLA.

The video was released by the Los Angeles Police Department on Wednesday and shows an apparent assault on Oct. 20 that left the victim with serious injuries, though it is unclear why the violent encounter even occurred. LAPD detectives from the Wilshire Area are searching for the man who hit the other person, saying he's wanted for assault with a deadly weapon.

A man strikes another man seemingly at random in the Hollywood area on Oct. 20, 2017, as seen in video released by the LAPD on Nov. 29, 2017.

A man wearing a black beanie can be seen walking down a busy street in broad daylight, carrying a large black object police said is a backpack with both hands. When another man with white hair strolls by, coming from the opposite direction, he swings it up like a baseball bat but then holds it still, as if to mimic an attempt to hit the other man that stops short of actually doing so.

But then the video takes an unexpected turn.

The man with the backpack starts to walk alongside the white-haired man and then suddenly strikes him from behind, slamming the object against his head and making him fall to the ground.

After attacking the other man, he walks down the street in the other direction again.

LAPD has said the attack happened "without any provocation," according to a news release.